Somatostatin is a cyclic peptide present in both the central nervous system and the surrounding tissue. Somatostatin was first isolated from mammalian hypothalamus, and was identified from anterior pituitary gland as an important inhibitor of growth hormone secretion. This peptide is widely distributed in e.g. the hypothalamus, the pancreas, and the gastrointestinal tract, and its action is exerted via binding to a somatostatin receptor. In addition, somatostatin is known for its secretory suppression of growth hormone (GH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the pituitary gland, as well as secretion suppression of various hormones such as gastrin, selectin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide) in the gastrointestinal tract, and glucagon and insulin in the pancreas. It is also known to have an action to suppress gastrointestinal motility.
Natural somatostatin having the structural formula: Ala-Gly-Cys-Lys-Asn-Phe-Phe-Trp-Lys-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Cys (SEQ ID NO. 1) (also known as somatotropin release inhibiting factor (SRIF)) was first isolated by Guillemin and coworkers. This somatostatin exerts its effect by interacting with a family of receptors. Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) has 1 to 5 subtypes (SSTR1-SSTR5), and among these, SSTR2 is known to be distributed in each tissues of the GH-secreting human pituitary gland adenoma, the central nervous system, the anterior pituitary gland, the retina, the adrenal medulla, the stomach, the duodenal mucosa, the small intestines, and the colon, as well as in the glucagon-secreting A-cell of the pancreatic islet. Each of these receptors is also known to be expressed in various tumors. For example, it has been reported that SSTR1 and SSTR5 are expressed in a functional pituitary adenoma, SSTR2 as well as SSTR1 and SSTR3 are expressed in a gastrointestinal tumor, SSTR3 is expressed in a pheochromocytoma, SSTR1 and SSTR5 are expressed in a prostate cancer, and SSTR5 is expressed in a colorectal cancer (Non-Patent Literature 1). Moreover, SSTR4 is reported in regards to its function as a receptor having an antagonistically modulating action and its possibility of being essential in the treatment of a glaucoma-related disease (Non-Patent Literature 2). As such, somatostatin and analogs thereof are potentially useful therapeutic drugs for somatostatin-related diseases or various types of tumors.
Meanwhile, because naturally-occurring somatostatin has a short half-life in blood of 2-3 minutes, it shows two undesirable properties of having low bioavailability and short duration of action, and thus its use or application as a therapeutic is limited. For this reason, various somatostatin analogs have been developed in order to find a somatostatin analog superior in any one of efficacy, biostability, duration of action, or selectivity considering the release suppression of growth hormone, insulin, or glucagon.
Octreotide (Patent Literatures 1 and 2) is reported as the first approved somatostatin analog that can be clinically utilized, and this octreotide is known to have affinity towards somatostatin receptors SSTR2, SSTR3, and SSTR5.
Octreotide has been developed as a cyclic peptide consisting of eight amino acids which has a sequence of four amino acids (Phe-Trp-Lys-Thr) (SEQ ID NO. 170) that is an important portion for showing the biological activity of somatostatin, Cys that forms a disulfide (S—S) bond at the two terminals of the sequence, and further D-Phe and Thr(ol) outside of the Cys at the two terminals. This octreotide can render persistence of action by improving the half-life in blood by its amino acid sequence, as well as has a higher selectivity towards growth hormone (GH) than somatostatin which enables it to have a strong action.
Such somatostatin analogs including octreotide can be used for treating patients who have a hormone-secreting and hormone-dependent tumor. Currently, symptoms related to metastatic carcinoid tumor which is a tumor of the neuroendocrine system (flushing, diarrhea, cardiac valve disease, and abdominal pain) and symptoms related to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-secreting adenoma (watery diarrhea) are treated with octreotide.
For example, in a carcinoid and VIP-producing tumor, octreotide inhibits both secretion and action of its active factor. Accordingly, in a VIP-producing tumor characterized in profusely-secreting diarrhea, a somatostatin analog can reduce its diarrhea by secretory inhibition of VIP as well as by directly influencing intestinal secretion.
On the other hand, however, many neuroendocrine tumors are reported to have resistance to somatostatin analogs such as octreotide (Non-Patent Literature 3). Moreover, although octreotide is used in the treatment of acromegaly, it is reported to have no effect on approximately one third of acromegaly patients. Further, it is reported that in majority of carcinoid tumor patients, octreotide exerts its effect only during initial administration, and tachyphylaxis is caused when the duration of administration is prolonged. Further, it is reported that octreotide does not show any effect on suppression of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production in early Cushing's disease patients.
In light of the problems above, development of a somatostatin analog that binds to multiple receptor subtypes with high affinity like that of a natural somatostatin is desired for a tumor expressing multiple somatostatin receptors, and it is suggested that a somatostatin analog having such affinity towards somatostatin receptors may possibly also have effect on patients who were therapeutically ineffective with or patients who have resistance to past somatostatin analogs (Non-Patent Literature 4).
Accordingly, development of a somatostatin analog having a structure similar to a naturally-occurring somatostatin, similarly having affinity towards somatostatin receptors, and having extended half-life in blood compared to somatostatin has been desired.
Meanwhile, it has been becoming clear that sugar chains are responsible for various roles in vivo, and a method for adding a sugar chain to octreotide in order to extend the half-life in blood has also been proposed (such as Patent Literature 3).
However, research is delayed due to the complexity or diversity of its structure, and it cannot be said that the type of sugar chain or the position for adding a sugar chain is always optimized. A glycosylated polypeptide that has overcome the problems of past somatostatin analogs has not been reported.